Inner Wars

The battle in your chest Would make a strong heart tremble; But I braced against the test: Survival’s not so simple. We marched until the boots Split seams from heavy wear; My mother’s troubled roots Turned gray with every scare. The hand that gripped my arm Was scarred from every fray; At every step that harmed, My heart would start to sway. You beat time on my soul With a weight I could not see, Then led me through the toll Still leaning close to me.